Summer paradise
by Ultimate Queen of Cliffies
Summary: Yet another random songfic, AU. Fiyero and Elphaba met five years ago and spent the best summer of their lives together; now, Elphaba returns to muse over things lost... and perhaps to retrieve those things again. Oneshot, Fiyeraba.


**AN: Just an idea that came to me when I was listening to Summer Paradise by Simple Plan... So I made it into a oneshot. Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked, nor do I own the song Summer Paradise.**

* * *

She was walking along the beach barefoot, her shoes in her hand, her long ebony hair blowing around her face, and she felt free. She curled her emerald toes in the soft sand, wandering closer towards the ocean every now and then to feel the cool waves washing over her feet, and she closed her eyes for a moment.

It had been five years. Five years since she'd last seen him, since they spent their summer together, since they fell in love… five years since they made the silly promise to come back here every year to see each other again.

She'd never gone back. Not because she didn't want to, but to protect herself. She didn't allow herself to hope, because she knew he wouldn't be there. They had been in a daze, caught up in summer and vacation and in each other… a lot could happen in a year. He would have gone off to university, he would have made other friends and fallen in love with other girls; and she would have went to a different university with her sister to have her own experiences. So she hadn't come. To spare herself the pain of going and not finding him there, to realise he really had forgotten about her. This way, she could at least pretend that he sometimes still thought of her… even though deep down, she knew better.

She remembered their first kiss. It had been her first kiss ever, and it had been dazzling. She closed her eyes again, the memory washing over her, making her feel as if it only happened yesterday.

_They were sitting on the rocks together, hands entwined, her head on his shoulder and his arm around her, watching the setting sun together. He pulled away slightly to smile down at her, and she knew that his sparkling sapphire eyes would never leave her mind again. Right here, with him, nothing mattered anymore. It felt as if the real world didn't exist anymore, as if there was nothing in the world but just him and her, together, caught in the bliss of the moment, a moment that would last forever. She returned his smile and he played with her hair. 'You look so beautiful.' His voice barely a whisper._

_She didn't argue, though she didn't believe him. She didn't even say anything. She just looked at him, eyes unconsciously wandering towards his lips, wondering what it would be like to kiss them. She'd never kissed anyone in her life before, but she knew she wanted to kiss him._

_And just as she thought that, he slowly leaned towards her, closer and closer. Her eyes fluttered shut as his lips brushed hers, and she slipped her arms around his neck as he pulled her closer and kissed her more properly, but still softly, as if he was afraid he'd scare her away. When they broke apart, he looked at her a bit questioningly, silently asking her how she felt about this, and she smiled and rested her head back on his shoulder. That was answer enough for him, for she felt his arm around her once more and he planted light kisses in her hair. She sighed. 'I wish this could last forever.'_

_He looked at her solemnly. 'Someday I will find my way back here… and so will you.'_

That's when they had promised to meet again every year, at the same place, on the same day.

Now, she sighed again as she watched the sun set once more. It seemed the same; the place itself hadn't changed one bit, but she had. He probably had, too, though she hadn't seen him ever since the vacation they had met, him reluctantly tagging along with his parents, her just as reluctantly being forced to come with her father and sister. She smiled at the memory. Her father hadn't liked her and Fiyero spending time together, but he hadn't interfered; and somehow, it had resulted in the most wonderful summer of her life.

She wasn't even sure why she'd come back here. It wasn't as if she was expecting him to show up… but she wanted to see if she could feel it again, all the things she had felt that summer. See if she could feel happy again, even just for a moment.

She sighed and turned her back towards the sea and the setting sun. She should have known better. The past was the past, and it was gone now… gone forever.

* * *

Fiyero vividly remembered the day he had left her.

It must have been the most painful thing he had ever done. They had spent his last day there together, on the beach; swimming, reading – well, her reading and him watching her read – talking and kissing, and the day had seemed to last forever. But the next morning, he woke up in the carriage they had left in the day before. The carriage that was moving towards the Vinkus… away from her.

He had had to leave. He didn't have a choice. But they'd both made a promise, they'd promised to see each other again, they'd promised that this was not goodbye… yet it had been.

He had returned to the beach every year, waiting for her. She had never shown up.

And now, he had heard about her engagement. Elphaba Thropp, the eldest daughter of the Governor of Munchkinland, was to marry some rich Gillikin nobleman… and it hurt. More than he could have anticipated. Despite the disappointment and hurt he felt every time he waited for her and she didn't come, he had never given up. There had always been a spark of hope that one day, she _would _return. But she never did. And now it would be too late and he had lost her forever.

He remembered everything about that summer, so clearly as if it had happened only yesterday. He remembered every word they had said to each other, every kiss they'd shared, everything about her – the way her hair smelled, the way her soft green skin felt under his fingertips, the way she'd blush whenever he'd give her a compliment. He remembered every sunset and sunrise they'd watched together and every happy, blissful moment they had spent in each other's company.

He wished they hadn't had to part. He wished that they could have stayed together forever. He wished he'd asked her to marry him then. Perhaps he would have, if he had known that it would be too late otherwise. But he hadn't known. So here he was.

He wasn't sure why he was going back again. To say goodbye, most likely; not so much to her as to the times that lay behind him, the happiness and wonder they had experienced together that one summer. It was a period of his life that was now behind him, and he felt that he needed to end it properly. That was why he was going back this one last time.

* * *

She was just starting to make her way back when a voice drifted towards her on the wind. 'Fae?'

She held her breath, not daring to believe. Ever so slowly, she turned around… and there he was.

He hadn't dared to believe it was her when he'd seen her from a distance, but deep down, he'd known, even though he had been so far away that he had not been able to distinguish any feature but her long dark hair. Now, as she turned around, his heart skipped a beat. It was her. It was really her.

She was exactly like he remembered – she didn't seem to have aged a day. The only difference was that her hair was longer now, and there was something in her eyes… sadness? Hurt? Regret? He couldn't really name it.

'Yero,' she whispered incredulously, and he seemed dumbstruck. 'What are you doing here?' he asked , baffled, and she shook her head. 'I could ask you the same thing.'

His eyes met hers, solemn sapphire eyes that took her breath away, just like they had five years ago. 'I came back every year,' he said. 'But you were never there.'

She was stunned speechless at that. It was as if the world suddenly stopped spinning, and she felt dizzy. _He came back every year. _He didn't sound accusing, but she detected an edge of disappointment in his voice and that seemed to be even worse. She shook her head again, looking for the right words. 'I… I didn't think you'd be back,' she whispered. 'I thought… I thought you would have moved on. And I didn't want to hurt myself by hoping, only to get my hopes crushed, every year again…'

He moved a bit closer to her, that soft look in his eyes that still managed to melt her. 'I could never move on,' he said quietly. 'You were always on my mind.' Suddenly, it was as if his eyes clouded and he looked away. 'But it doesn't matter anymore, does it?' he said, and he sounded uncharacteristically bitter. 'I heard about your engagement. Congratulotions.'

She blinked, but when she realised what he was saying, she exhaled slowly. 'Why do you think I came here?'

He shrugged. 'I don't know. To say goodbye?'

She shook her head. 'Because…' She bit her lip, a habit of hers he had always found endearing, and it melted him now, giving him the courage to move a bit closer to her. 'Why, Fae?'

She lowered her eyes. 'Because I had nowhere else to go,' she confessed in a whisper. She looked up again, and when she met his eyes, he was stunned to see them filled with tears. In the time they'd spent together, he had never seen her cry. Not once. She just seemed too strong for that… But now, there were definitely tears in her eyes, and it made him want to wrap his arms around her and hold her and never let her go again.

'Father kicked me out,' she said, her voice a bit unsteady. 'I never wanted to marry Lord Greel, but…' She closed her eyes for a moment in an attempt to compose herself, then met his eyes again. 'I refused,' she said simply. 'I refused to marry him. So my father disowned me and kicked me out. I'm not sure what I hoped to find here… but like I said, I didn't have anywhere else to go.' She bit her lip again, hugging herself, and he asked softly, still not daring to get his hopes up, 'Why didn't you want to marry Lord Greel?'

She looked up to meet his eyes, fear clearly visible in her own, but also some kind of relief. 'I didn't love him,' she whispered. 'In all my life, there has only been one person I truly loved.'

He still didn't move, afraid somehow that if he did, she would vanish or run away and he would never see her again; but then, she suddenly flung herself at him, burying her face in his shirt and crying. 'I'm so sorry, Yero,' she wept, desperate sobs racking her entire body. 'I'm so sorry I never came back!'

His arms circled around her almost instinctively as he held her close, closing his eyes. 'It's okay, Fae. It's okay,' he said soothingly. 'I understand. And I love you, too.'

She pulled back a little, wiping at her tears as she looked up at him with huge, dark eyes. 'You do?'

In response, he leaned down a little and pressed his lips against hers. She wound her arms around his neck and kissed him back, and he could feel her body trembling as he pulled her closer, one hand playing with her hair, the other resting on her back. When they broke apart, he rested his forehead against hers. 'I'm so glad I found you again.'

'Really?' she asked a bit breathlessly, and he shook his head in disbelief. 'Can't you tell?'

She smiled at that and rested her head against his shoulder. 'I'm glad you found me, too.'

Suddenly, he pulled away, his eyes shining as he looked at her. 'Fae… Come to the Vinkus with me.'

She looked shocked. 'What?'

He locked eyes with her. 'Fae… Elphaba. I love you,' he said solemnly. 'And I don't want you to get out of my sight ever again. Come back with me. Marry me. Let me love you. Please? I can't lose you again,' he said, and she could read the sincerity in his eyes.

She leaned up and kissed him, softly and slowly. 'I'll come with you,' she said softly, and his face lit up as he lifted her up and twirled her around in the air, making her throw her head back and laugh. She had never before felt so free, so happy, so wonderful… not since that summer five years ago. She couldn't believe it, but it was real… and it was amazing.

He took her hand in his, lacing his fingers with hers, and she rested her head on his shoulder again as they started walking along the beach together. Just like before.

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**Please review! :)**


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